I've been on this site for 10 years now, and I'm far from sick of games, but I think I am, to some degree, sick of learning too many new games. I'm also tired of playing 4+ hr multiplayer games, but I'll still happily play really long games 2 player.

10

Dec 2014

[5 plays] of San Juan expansion. [1 play of PR expansion]

Worth every penny even if these are the only 2 games I ever use it for. San Juan has rocked with the new cards. They have become integral to my San Juan experience. The nobles and related building for Puerto Rico are also something I am likely to never go without again. They add a little flavor and extra depth without being any burden.

I am eager to try the Princes of Florence expansion. I don't own any of the other games any longer (Notre Dame and Louis XIV), don't feel the love for ItYotD, and haven't ever played Witch's Brew.

Reading your recent posts has been like dipping my bottom over and over into a bath of the silkiest oils and creams.

10

Feb 2013

Rating is for the extra buildings for San Juan and the 6th player for Witch's Brew. The former brings new life into a great game that can get a little same-y without it. The latter adds an extra player to a great game that already plays best the more people you have.

The other components of the San Juan and Witch's Brew might be OK but I have no desire to even try them. Adding event cards to a game that normally doesn't have them bugs me, personally.

I haven't tried, and don't have, the others parts of the Alea Treasure Chest, having traded for just these two. But these are so awesome I doubt I'll play without them if I had a choice.

Louis XIV Expansion: The Favorite 7 — This adds a little variety to the game and a few more choices, now that you have the special action board, but it doesn't drastically alter the feel of the game — which is fine by me!

Notre Dame Expansion: New Persons 9 — This is a rather nice set of new grey people to hire. There are a couple that can be rather risky to use, but used back-to-back in tandem, they provide an incredible payoff. I like them! Because the new cards require you to randomly select the 3×A, 3×B, and 3×C, everyone gets to review which nine are in the game before it starts. These new cards inject more replay value into one of the most replayable games I've ever played. Bravo!

The Princes of FlorenceThe Muse and the Princess Expansion 7 — It's an interesting twist to add to the game. It also serves the purpose of adding distraction from the goal, and money drain to the game, which I welcome. The bad part is that each card can be very, very powerful in the right circumstances, so players need to learn the relative values of the characters in those situations. Muse abuse, for example, can catapult a player into the lead....

Puerto Rico Expansion I: The New Buildings 8.9 Excellent addition to the base game. By randomizing the buildings available, the dynamic from game to game is a refreshing challenge.

Puerto Rico Expansion II: The Nobles 9 — These are a splendid fit. The buildings' conditional functions are a little more difficult to digest at first, but they add quite a dose of freshening to the game.

Witch's Brew Expansion I: The 6th Player 10 — The 6th player components are perfectly fine and welcome, and the additional potions are perfectly fine. The crow tokens are an excellent addition, so the people who take crow-bearing potions needn't keep them face up. Plus, it's a little easier to see that the crows have flown away than it is to count up to the right number at all times, especially with more players.

Witch's Brew Expansion II: The Amulets 8 — Nice. This adds some more choices to the game, and the amulets are rigged to encourage you to play them. So, being the last person in turn order doesn't guarantee you the "I am..." role. This keeps the suspense higher, as it's not always apparent how each round will play out....

Witch's Brew Expansion III: The Magic Abilities 6 — By giving each player a card, and the start player two extra, drafting your special card for the round is expedited, since only two of the cards are newly passed to you. Nonetheless, it inevitably slows the game a bit. ...especially with 6 players, since you blow through the deck every two sets, which means you just keep seeing the same abilities over and over. Better with fewer players, methinks.

I love, love, love these boxes of small expansions for great games. Ystari did one as well and it was such a welcomed thing to get. So I'll break this down by the ones I've tried and add to them as I've tried them out.

Witch's Brew. This is excellent and should most definitely be used every time you play. I Love the cards that get added as they really shake the game up. The raven tokens are beautiful and make keeping track of the pace of the game very easy.

San Juan. Not bad at all, I think I'll just keep playing with this from here no out. The new buildings are GREAT. The law cards are interesting in that they come out in variable timing but then give more options to the role chooser but none are certainly "Must have's" so they may sit for a round or two. Well thought out to make them not something everyone jumps on or bitches about because they didn't get a shot at something.

Puerto Rico. Very simple addition to the game which adds a good bit. I like the nobles as it makes taking the Mayor role more viable through the game. The new tiles are very interesting as they give bonuses during role actions. Which is very cool.

In the Year of the Dragon. Owned but unplayed as of yet. Traded with base game.

In the base game, if a player happens to get certain powerful card combinations early on, the other players can find their own prospects disheartening. I find that the "New Buildings" expansion moderates that possibility by adding several new cards whose powers provide players with opportunities to overcome that early snowball effect. Additionally, these new cards offer more interesting card combinations. In our gaming group, the expansion breathed new life into San Juan.

Rating based on San Juan expansions alone so far. Nice. Worth the price just for those for me. Some of the cards looked imbalancing and the events looked different, but overall I find that they fit into the game very nicely. The quantity of cards weakens traditional strategies a little by dilution, but the new cards open up new ideas so it still feels right. Very nice.